ISVs Try BEA's Java Developer Tools

Computerworld - BEA Systems Inc. said today that 30 independent software vendors (ISV) have agreed to support WebLogic Workshop, its integrated developer environment for building enterprise Java applications.
Actional Corp., Blue Titan Software Inc., Salesforce.com Inc., E.piphany Inc., Documentum Inc. and FileNet Corp. are among the vendors building controls and extensions that will allow developers to link functionality from their products with Java applications being developed in WebLogic Workshop 8.1, BEA said.
Actional created controls that developers can use to integrate performance data from Actional's software into an application being built using Workshop, said James Phillips, an Actional senior vice president. The company makes software for managing and monitoring the performance of Web services applications.
San Jose-based BEA said Salesforce.com will use Workshop as a base for its Sforce developer environment, which allows users to customize Salesforce.com's hosted CRM applications. "There's a licensing framework where they will distribute Workshop for their developer base," said Dave Cotter, BEA's director of developer product marketing.
About half a dozen ISVs will have Workshop controls ready today; the rest will have them in 90 days, Cotter said.
BEA isn't alone. Microsoft Corp. in July launched a program to encourage ISVs to create extensions for its Visual Studio .Net environment. Its Visual Studio Industry Partner software development kit is free to small ISVs and costs up to $10,000 for larger partners, Microsoft said at the time. Microsoft has also partnered with some of the ISVs that BEA is courting, including Actional.
Niccolai writes for the IDG News Service.